High school boys basketball: Banner adds layer to special night for Mentor

Jeff Forman/JForman@News-Herald.com
Kyle Hagey, Mentor, goes up for a shot as Jeremy Janota, Riverside, defends in the first quarter Monday at Mentor High School.

There aren’t many nights when a 104-point outburst by the Mentor boys basketball team is lost in the shuffle or overshadowed.
Monday was one of those nights.
Prior to the tipoff of the Cardinals’ game against visiting Riverside, Mentor unveiled its state championship banner from the 2012-2013 season.
There was a video montage of highlights from the Cardinals’ win over Toledo Rogers in the title game, there was an introduction of players from the state championship team, and there was applause and even some tears of reminiscing joy when the team members pulled a rope that unveiled the championship banner.
Oh yeah, there was a game, too, but it was an afterthought on this night.
“The best part of the night was the banner, without a doubt,” Mentor coach Bob Krizancic said after his team’s 104-65 win.
“To have all the players there, I thought it was emotional. It was for me. Not that (the game) was anticlimactic, but the major part of the night was the ceremony and banner.”
Riverside coach Adam May knew that — that’s why the Mentor product asked his alma mater to be chosen as the Cardinals’ opponent the night the banner was to be unveiled.
May, whose father is an assistant at Riverside and whose brother is an assistant at Mentor, joked he didn’t know what locker room to go to or what bench to sit on. But the magnitude of the moment wasn’t lost on him.
“I asked to be the game they unveiled it so I wouldn’t miss it,” May said. “This is a special place for me. For 25 years I rooted for Mentor. Tonight was the first time I didn’t.”
The game wasn’t much of one. After Riverside (1-5) took a 2-0 lead on two free throws by Jeremy Janota, Mentor answered with a 3-pointer from Joey Zaugg and never trailed again following a 13-0 run.
It was 30-10 after one quarter and 53-31 at the half.
There was a point in the third quarter Riverside looked as if it was going to put a scare in the home team when Alex Wade drained a 3-pointer to make it a 59-43 game.
But Mentor went on a 34-4 run over the last 5 minutes, 35 seconds of the third quarter to render the fourth quarter nothing more than mop-up time.
“We did a lot of good things, then we changed,” May said. “We cut it to 16 in the third quarter, and then we changed. That’s kind of been our (modus operandi). Why do we change when we’re doing something successful?”
Mentor, which has now won two straight after a season-opening loss to Shaker Heights, overwhelmed Riverside with athleticism and depth. Senior starters Caleb Potter (19), Kyle Hagey (18) and Kade McClure (18) all had double figures before sitting out the entire fourth quarter. Paul Satieka came off the bench for 17 points.
Mentor got off an eye-bulging 89 shots in 32 minutes of play and hit 11 3-pointers.
Krizancic singled out reserves Michael Ours (three points), Kyle McIntyre (four) and Sateika for their productivity.
“I thought those three showed me a ton,” Krizancic said. “That was a major plus in a game like this when we’re trying to find some depth.”
Mentor played a third straight game without Conner Krizancic, who missed the first two games of the season with football-related injuries. The senior guard has flu-like symptoms heading into the holiday.
Riverside got another big game from Maxx Brubaker, who followed an 18-point, 15-rebound game on Saturday against Harvey with a 21-point effort against Mentor. Janota was next with nine.
Riverside heads to Newark later this week for a holiday invitational against Newark, Cincinnati Hughes and Middletown.
“It’s a cliche,” May said. “But what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. This three-game stretch is as tough as anybody can schedule three games in a row without going to Tennessee. If it makes us stronger... it will be worth it.”